Adjustable rifle telescopes with multiple fixed angle mount setpoints are desirable for enabling accurate long-distance shooting where significant elevation compensation is required. Optical scopes are mounted on rifles to provide a clear magnified image of a target and to provide an adjustable aiming point to indicate the point of impact of a projectile on a target. Scopes typically have an internal optical adjustment to shift the image or apparent location of the crosshairs to compensate for the amount that the bullet drops below the axis of the barrel as it flies over a distance. A similar lateral adjustment is normally provided for windage compensation.
While it is possible in some instances to mount a scope with its optical axis parallel to the barrel bore axis and employ the optical adjustment to compensate for bullet drop, this approach is generally not considered practical. Internal optical adjustments have limited ranges of adjustment, and designs that have greater adjustment range are bulkier than is desirable. Essentially, a scope mounted parallel to the barrel wastes the upper half of the adjustment range of the scope because the bullet will never fly upward, only downward relative to the barrel bore's axis.
Consequently, many scope-mounting systems provide a selected angular deviation that points the scope slightly downward with respect to the barrel bore axis. The angular deviation is typically less than a degree, with a deviation in the range of 10-50 minutes of angle (MOA) being typical. The deviation may be achieved in a rail system to which a scope mount is attached or in a scope mount having rings encompassing a scope tube, with the rear ring at a higher elevation than the front ring. This allows use of a practical scope mechanism that employs the upper range of adjustment for nearer shots and the lower range below a neutral setting for more distant shots where bullet drop is greatest.
While an angled mount is effective for a single selected cartridge having known flight characteristics and for a scope having known adjustment capabilities, a single angled mount is not suitable for a varied range of cartridges or versatile for a range of different scope types. Thus, numerous different-angled mounts must be manufactured and stocked, and users must buy multiple mounts to provide for different applications.
The use of externally adjustable rifle telescopes is known in the prior art. For example, some scope mounting systems provide a means for adjusting a scope externally. Such adjustments are typically made with a micrometer or other elevation screw adjustment at the rear of the scope, with the front pivotally mounted to the rifle. However, these are less robust systems than the present invention and suffer from backlash that can make repeatable settings unreliable.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved adjustable rifle telescope system with multiple fixed angle mount setpoints that can be used for enabling accurate long-distance shooting where significant elevation compensation is required. In this regard, the various embodiments of the present invention substantially fulfill at least some of these needs. In this respect, the adjustable rifle telescope system with multiple fixed angle mount setpoints according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of enabling accurate long-distance shooting where significant elevation compensation is required.